The report outlines several recommendations for the State to improve access to a high school diploma while maintaining high standards that ensure college or career readiness. Our recommendations, described in detail in the report, are as follows:

Reduce the Number of Exit Exams Required to Graduate with a Regents Diploma from 5 to 3.

Develop a Pathway to Graduation That Allows All Students to Demonstrate Their Knowledge and Skills through State-Developed and/or Approved Performance-Based Assessments.

Build More Flexibility and Support into the Current System to Make it More Accessible to Students.

Ensure Transparency in Communications and Monitoring of all Aspects of the Multiple Pathways System.

“We strongly support high standards of student achievement. However, we believe that the State’s focus on high stakes standardized exit exams creates unnecessary barriers to graduation for many students. As demonstrated nationwide, states requiring exit exams have lower 4-year graduation rates than those that do not,” states Abja Midha, Project Director for Advocates for Children of New York.

Statewide, about 48,000 students in each entering 9th grade class are at risk of not graduating. In NYS, over 25% of high school students fail to graduate within four years. For students of color, English language learners (ELLs), students with disabilities, and students who are economically disadvantaged, this percentage is even higher.

The report’s recommendations do not seek to dilute standards or remove rigor from the high school experience. Introducing additional flexibility to the high school assessment structure simply recognizes that students may better demonstrate their knowledge outside of a standardized exam setting. To read entire report, click here.